Eugene Marathon Training

PURPOSE: This round of training targets the Eugene Marathon on May 1^st. We gradually increase the length of weekly long runs, preparing you for a safe and satisfying finish. This is the 25^th edition of the Eugene Running Company-sponsored Joe’s Team.

LOCATIONS: Most of our runs start and finish at the Eugene Running Company (116 Oakway Center, 541-344-6399). About 1½ miles of each run is on city streets. The remainder follows the scenic and safe riverside bike path with its marked distances. Some restrooms and water fountains are shut down in winter in winter months.

COSTS: The fee for marathon training is $100 (payable at the store and due before your program begins). This fee covers coaching services. Other benefits of team membership are discounts (at the store) or donated goods and services (by sponsors and friends). You pay your own race entry fee. If you haven’t already entered, do so soon. This step is important, because early entry not only saves you money but also seals your commitment.

Enter at: eugenemarathon.com

ADVISER: Joe Henderson planned this program and is on hand to advise you most weekends. Experienced runners on staff at the Running Company are also available to assist you. You can reach Joe anytime by email (joesrunteam@gmail.com) or text (541-953-7179). Previews and results appear at joesmarathonteam.blogspot.com. You’re also invited to join the Facebook group, Joe’s Team Runners.

PREREQUISITES: We want no one to go too far, too soon. A recent run of at least six miles is highly recommended before entering this program. We also advise that you come into the program with no injury that might interfere with increasing your distances. If you already train beyond the scheduled distances for our early weeks, you can join the group training later.

GROUP RUNS: We focus on the long run, the most important one by far for a would-be marathoner. Runs increase by an average of one mile per week. The pace of the runs is meant to be relaxed, especially if you are running these distances for the first time. Walk breaks are an option to make the distances more manageable.

From February onward, training alternates between a long run one Sunday and about half that length the next weekend. Your shorter Sunday runs can at a somewhat faster pace than the longer ones, for speed training – or the same pace at this shorter distance, for recovery.

You benefit the most from this program if you take all of these runs with the group (at the prescribed distances and no farther). However, we realize that conflicts come up. If you miss running with us, try to cover a similar distance on or near the same day it is scheduled here.

TRAINING PROGRAM

Runs begin at the Running Company, at 8:00 A.M. on Sundays. A course preview is posted on our blog before each week’s run, and results appear there afterward. Bring your preferred drinks and other supplies for delivery during your runs. Cottage Grove half-marathoners will train with you, usually at the same distances, through mid-February. Runners training for the Eugene Half will begin in late February, at shorter distances than yours.

Date – Distance

January 3^rd – 7 miles to start marathon training

January 10^th – 8 miles

January 17^th – 9 miles

January 24^th – 10 miles

January 31^st – 11 miles

February 7^th – 6 miles

February 14^th – 13.1 miles

February 21^st – 7 miles

February 28^th – 15 miles

March 6^th – 8 miles (Joe is away)

March 13^th – 17 miles

March 20^th – 9 miles

March 27^th – 19 miles

April 3^rd – 10 miles

April 10^th – 21 miles

April 17^th – 10 miles

April 24^th – one hour

May 1^st – Eugene Marathon at 7:00

OTHER RUNS: We urge you to run at least three days during the week. With distances increasing quickly here, you need to keep all other runs easy (even easier than they normally might be) to allow full recovery between long ones. The recommended length, in time, is 30 to 60 minutes – or a total of one to two hours for the week, not counting the Sunday run.

Portland Marathon Results

Any marathon you finish is a good one. Any day when we have a 100-percent finish rate is a great one, and today was one of those.

Special praise to the Welkers, Jeanette and Joy, for their big PRs. And to Michele Clemo for finishing her first marathon. And to Leah Kirkland for running her first with us. Michele and Leah are numbers 301 and 302 in our all-time count of marathoners.

Thanks to Richard Maher and Neal Benson for finding me a spot at the finish line. And to Audrey Blankenship for sharing a spot for the early miles.

PORTLAND MARATHON RESULTS

(with official time and per-mile pace; * = faster than last long training run)

Michele -- 5:58:03 (13:40 pace) debut at longest distance ever
Jean -- 5:13:39 (11:59s) 10th anniversary as a marathoner, where it all began
*Chris -- 6:01:35 (13:49s) 10th anniversary at Portland
*Leah -- 4:37:12 (10:35s) first marathon with our team
Cindy -- 5:13:43 (11:59s) finished despite illness
*Jeanette -- 4:29:09 (10:17s) PR by 20 minutes!
Joy -- 4:07:10 (9:27s) PR by 9 minutes!
*Rhonda -- 5:05:21 (11:40s) 3rd marathon or longer in 2 months

Others with team ties:

Rashi Arora -- 3:53 (8:53s) at Twin Cities; PR by 15 minutes!; trained "virtually" with us
David Blankenship -- 4:58:42 (11:25s) recent team alum
Amy Goddard -- 4:50:34 (11:06s) training with EWEB Half with us
Jennifer Howard -- 3:37:45 (8:19s) ran with Wednesday speed group
Jenn Lewis -- 3:37:45 (8:19s) from Eugene Running Company
Jeanine Miller -- 5:46:48 (13:15s) recent team alum
Trevor Steele -- 4:15:11 (9:45s) ran with Wednesday speed group
Duke Wang -- 5:15:28 (12:02s) trained some with us

WEEK 19 LESSON: YOUR NEXT

Question: How soon can I run my next marathon after finishing this one

Answer: How does six months later sound? You could run another one much sooner (as soon as a month later, according to the usual recovery timetable). But two marathons per year is a reasonable limit, which is why I schedule only two annual rounds of training for our team. This leaves half the year free to do something other than train for and recover from marathons. Spring and fall are the best times to run this distance because our weather is most reliably cool and dry then. Though we target races in those seasons, it also means doing most of the training in wet Oregon winters and warm summers. If you want to run races in those seasons, keep them shorter.

October 4th Preview

Our latest marathon program, which is number 24, hits its finish line this Sunday. Most of you will run in Portland. But we also have Rashi, who trained "virtually" with us, running her hometown Twin Cities race.

Michele is going this far for the first time. Jean is celebrating her 10th anniversary as a marathoner, after starting at the team's first Portland. Chris and Leah are also returnees there -- as are Cindy, Jeanette and Rhonda, who'll come DOWN in distance after their McKenzie 50K. Joy went 26 miles there as her mom's pacer, and this will be her first Portland.

Packet pickup at the Portland Hilton is on Friday and Saturday. The race starts at 7:00 Sunday morning.

Multiple starting areas make meeting as a group impossible before the race. I'll be around, though -- on Naito Parkway at about two and five miles, standing on the side of the road farthest from the river. Look for me there as I try to pick you out of the crowd.

And I'll welcome you to the finish area (thanks to the pass that Eugene Marathon director Richard Maher acquired for me).

Weather forecast: dark and cool early, with starting temperature in low 50s; sunny and warm late, with an afternoon high of 81. 

Text of call if you have questions or concerns: 541-953-7179.

WEEK 18 LESSON: YOUR SUCCESS

Question: How can I judge how well I run in the marathon?

Answer: A great beauty of running is that it gives everyone a chance to win. Winning isn’t automatic. You still have to work for success and risk failure, especially when the event is a marathon. But unlike other sports there’s no need to beat an arbitrary standard (such as “par” or an opponent’s score). You measure yourself against your personal record – which you might be setting for the first time in this marathon. To the runner, the personal record, or PR, represents one of the greatest advance in the history of this sport. The invention of the digital stopwatch worn on the wrist turned everyone into a potential winner. Here was a personal and yet objective way to measure success and progress. No one can set a PR but you. No one can break a PR but you.

September 27th Results (6.1 miles & other)

That's it for this round of marathon training. When you hear from me in midweek, I'll try to ease your concerns about next Sunday's Portland Marathon.

Thanks to Shivaun for opening the store this morning. And to Neal for his on-course pacing.

TODAY'S 6.1 MILES

(with per-mile pace, based on GPS average of 6.15, and comparison to your last long run here; target was to match that pace for this longer distance, for recovery, or faster, for speed training; but don't take these results too seriously because trail running is generally slower than road, and because turnaround points varied)

Michele C. -- 1:07:31 (10:58s, -1:48)
Leah -- 52:00 (8:27s, -2:32)
Sean -- 50:31 (8:14s, -40 sec.)
Cindy -- 51:01 for 5.8 miles (8:51s, -38 sec.)
Rhonda -- 1:07:31 (10:58s, -52 sec.)

OTHER RECENT RUNS

(if reported to me)

Rashi -- 13.1 miles in Minnesota, 1:48 (8:14s) for Twin Cities Marathon next Sunday

September 27th Preview

You'll come way down, to six miles, this Sunday, while our half-new marathoners move up to six. It's the only time you'll all run the same distance on the same day.

The route: Oakway and Coburg Roads to Ferry Street Bridge and don't cross. Turn left onto bike path, then connect to Pre's Trail near Alton Baker restrooms. Follow the wood-chip trail along the water, past Autzen Stadium, to I-5. Turn AROUND there and come back the same way. Distance is slightly longer than 6.0 miles.

Bring a drink for delivery at about 1.5 and 4.5 miles (Autzen Stadium). Weather forecast: starting temperature in 40s and sunny.

WEEK 17 LESSON: YOUR TAPER

Question: How much should I run the last week before the race?

Answer: You’ve already been tapering since the longest run. In the final week, run as little as your conscience will allow. It’s too late now, with the marathon just days away, to do anything that will make the race go better. But it’s never too late to make a mistake – most commonly running too far or too fast – that will come back to bite you on race day. Take at least as many rest days as you would before a weekly training run. Take nothing longer than you would on a normal week’s easy run, and ideally shorter. You won’t forget how to run now, and you’ll race better the more rested you are.

September 20th Results (10.1 miles & others)

This has come to be known as the "only 10 miles" run. What once seemed really long now seems shorter.

With the EWEB program starting, I'm now posting those runners' results separately -- at joeshalfteam.blogspot.com

Thanks to Jenn for opening the store today. And to Tonya for helping on the course.

TODAY'S 10.1 MILES

(with per-mile pace, based on GPS average of 10.15, and comparison to your last long run here; target was either to go faster, for speed training, or same pace, for recovery)

Michele -- 1:52:39 (11:05 pace, -1:41 per mile)
Sean -- 1:27:39 (8:38s, -16 sec.)
Jeanette -- 1:43:40 (10:12s, -1:56)

Guest:
Bill -- 1:41:50 (10:02s)

OTHER DISTANCES TODAY

Jean -- 7.8 miles in 1:21:45 (10:31s, -40 sec.)
Chris -- Race for the Cure in Portland
Jeff -- trail and Springfield run
Cindy -- 7.9 miles in 1:14:14 (9:23s, -6 sec.)
Rhonda -- 7.9 miles in 1:24:21 (10:40s, -1:10)

September 20th Preview

Ten miles this Sunday for you marathoners. Half-marathon training for EWEB Run to Stay Warm also begins that day (at five miles), which means the group will grow.

Our start time will move to **8:00** for the rest of September. The store will open about 15 minutes earlier.

The 10-mile route: Oakway and Coburg Roads to Ferry Street Bridge and don't cross. Turn left onto bike path, to Autzen footbridge and across. Turn right, past Valley River footbridge to "0.5" milepost. Turn AROUND and come back the same way: Autzen, Ferry and store. GPS distance is 10.15 miles.

Bring a drink for delivery at 3.5 and 6.5 miles (Skinner Butte playground). Weather forecast: starting temperature in 50s and sunny.

WEEK 16 LESSON: YOUR STRATEGY

Question: What is the best way to pace myself during the marathon

Answer: Even if you’ve done everything right in training, you can cancel all that good with as little as one wrong move on race day. The first and worst bad move is to bolt from the starting line far faster than your training pace. Crowd hysteria and your own raging nervous system conspire to send you into the race as if fired from a cannon. Try to work against the forces of the crowd and your natural desires. Pull back the mental reins at a time when the voices inside are shouting, “Faster!” Be cautious in your early pacing, erring on the side of too-slow rather than too-fast. Hold something in reserve for the late miles. This is where you reward yourself for your early caution, by passing instead of being passed. Being the passer rather than the passee is a lot more fun.